M: Let's start with that. After. [laughs] So, we recently discovered (or remembered) that there is, in fact, a lovely little rental section hiding in the back of our favorite British imports store, Brits!

J: Seriously, guys, they've got tons of movies. Especially if you still have a VHS player (also known, as it were, as a V-C-R).

M: It is a VHS goldmine for all things British.

J: [shouts] BBC!

M: In hopes of giving our fine followers...

J: Good alliteration!

M: Thanks! Where was I... [loses train of thought completely]

J: We just wanted to let people know that Brits is awesome and we love them and...

M: This is terrible. Don't let the Brits people see this.

J: They'll love it! In any case, the rental process is super easy - and cheap - and I encourage you to check out their selection of Dr. Who memorabilia. Also their jams and such. 'Cause it's Brits. But really, they're super nice and DVD rentals are $1.50 for two nights (with just 75 cents a night in late fees).

M: Of course, we would never be late in turning in our videos.

J: Never, ever. [shakes head for emphasis] [takes a quick drink]

M: We found a number of DVDs that we hope to feature here at BWAB in the near future, one of which we rented after filling out our membership forms.

J: Super easy, guys.

M: "Who are the Britons?" "We are all Britons and I am your king!"

J: Not today, Meredith. Soon, though. Soon.

M: Is this just me quoting Monty Python to myself? It's too hot for blogging.

J: And we'll leave you with that! Stay tuned for our review of our very first Brits rental, The History Boys, based on the Tony award-winning play. Do you want to say thank-you to Brits?

M: Um... I mean I could. [laughs] I just have to think really hard about things sometimes.

J: Thank you, Brits, for your lovely service and your amazing selection of British films. We look forward to your recommendations.

M: I sound like your mentally deranged friend. For half of this I just eat rice krispy treats. And then the second half I can't think of anything, I can't thank people... this is the worst possible introduction for Brits.

J: Not true! You made some excellent points about being timely video renters.

M: I'm just going to tell people I was severely dehydrated [takes a drink of my beer] I just drank your beer! I'm just... it's very good, though...

J: It's not bad, right? I've had better, but...

M: ...but not much. Sorry Brits, we love you. The next one will be better. We promise.

J: We make a lot of promises around here...

M: THE END.

Sad David Tennant is sad. (Evil Gromit is evil.)

Their selection is impressive! Not at all bewildering.

I can't believe you didn't know that that was Stephen Fry. I'm so ashamed. (Meredith says, in her defense, that the picture was very small.) I'll allow it.

Clearly marked.

Miming turning in a video at Brits' handy-dandy outdoor video return slot. Note: No videos were actually returned in the making of this photo.

Monday, June 10, 2013

J: You better stop this before another episode (Portlandia) gets started, or else we're never gonna blog. Turns out, blogging at House of Ginger is more difficult that I assumed.

M: You're still distracting us.

J: Maybe Matt should just participate.

Matt: Let's watch Pulp Fiction!

J: What's Star Trek I?

Matt: Uh, it's got like, uh....

J: We need to talk about Trance!

Matt: Trance!!

J: He's previously been referenced as M2.

M2: I don't know how to feel about that. Do you even know how to type? Sounds like you're just smashing keys over there.

M: Anyways...

J: What did you think about Trance?

M: Frankly, I spent a lot of energy trying to forget it.

J: Touche! Personally, I thought the idea was interesting, the concept of hypnosis, intriguing. But the movie itself was too dramatic for my tastes. It took itself too seriously. And whenever I saw Rosario Dawson, all I could think of was Rent. There it is!

M2: (searching Youtube) Star Trek, the Original Motion Picture, in 10 Minutes! This has gotta be good.

J: This is fantastic!

M2: That's the dad from 7th Heaven!

M: Oh my god, it is!

M2: What are they wearing?! ...There's like a God-thing in this one. They like talk to a 'cloud' for like an hour.

M: Seriously, I highly recommend looking this up on Youtube, folks. Guys, we need to focus!

J: No, this is only 10 minutes!

M2 & J: (digress in to deep conversation about Dune)

J: That was my first introduction to James McAvoy! Children of Dune. I was obsessed. It was December 3rd...

M2: Whoa...

J: No, I remember. It was December 3rd when it premiered. 2003, I think. It was a Sci-Fi original.

M: Wow, guys.

M2: Dune's pretty sweet. I think we should watch Dune.

J: OH, CAN WE PLEASE?! Someone has an accent in that, right?

M2: Picard is in that, right?

J: It's on Netflix!

M: Are we seriously watching a Wrath of Khan trailer right now?

J: Yes

M2: That's Khan.

M: I like the new Khan better...

J: Definitely. If I had been a teenager in the 80s...

M: Gotta say I like the new Kirk better, too...

J: Like a lot.

M: You guys are full of spoilers by the way.

M2: We gotta start Dune! Sting is in Dune..

J: It is so good. The book is so good!

M2: It's really weird. It's got the mayor from Portlandia in it! (searches for Dune on Netflix) Sexual Chronicles of a French Family?!

M: Wow. That's seriously what comes up if you search for Dune. I'm so confused right now...

J: Frank Herbert's Dune? I swear it used to be on here.

M: I feel like I'm just recording our conversations now for posterity...I have like, a page of stuff and we have NOT talked about Trance yet. I'm just sayin'...

(everyone still talking about Dune....)

M2: It's a movie you gotta talk about...

M: Man, we gotta get 'Chatty-Matty' outta here...

J: Was there anything particularly memorable for you about Trance?

M2: All the nudity...

J: No, there was no nudity...

M: (looks incredulously)

J: Ohh, yes there was...

M: It's kinda traumatizing just to hear you explain the plot to Matt...

J: I'm like, just now remembering everything...

M: Did you try to repress it all, too?

J: Biblically smooth...

M: Best. Description. Ever. That's really all you need to know about Trance...

J: (laughes) I just drooled...or spat on myself.

M2: This movie sounds gawd-awful...

M: In our defense, we went in to this movie completely blind.

J: What happens at the end?

M: (stares, mouth agape) Uh, at the end, without ruining things for our faithful audience, there's a lot of fire and suspense and awful.

We can explain...

A hundred years ago, when we were in high school, we bonded over our mutual love of Irish culture. With a little hard work and one traumatizing Student Senate experience, The Irish American Club was born!

Though the club accomplished nothing more than holding a St. Patrick's Day bake sale (which funded some seriously rad t-shirts), we're back again for another try. This time, it's different (we swear!).

We recently spent a year studying beginning Irish Gaelic at the Irish Cultural Center in Kansas City, Missouri. We also both own laptops and enough expendable income to find and view plenty of movies. Then there's the matter of all the time we've discovered we have since graduating from college...

Bottom line: Blog with a Brogue is a chance for us, and you, to delve a little deeper into one of the things we find most fascinating about Irish (or any) culture: the accent. In this blog, we're featuring accents from the Atlantic Archipelago, which includes Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England.

Sit back, grab a pint of your favorite beverage (if it's in a pint glass, it counts), and enjoy!